Signaling system for street railways



, w. c. H. WEFEL I SIGNALING SYSTEM FOR STREET HAILWAYS Filed Sept 22.. 1925 2 Sneets$hee. 1

Oct. 12 1926. I

' W. C. H. WEFEL SIGNALING SYSTEMFOR STREET RAILWAYS Filed Sept. 22, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 11 C. H We f/ ATTORNEY.

,4....,.% K 7 l 11!)? a Q J x 1 MW 3 A- w 3 l l 3 1 w a 5 i i f, x M

7 WILLIAM (inf I 'TnIXoF SAID WILLIAMQ H; w rEL; DECEASED i at any convenientiplace-such as fone of the} at the intersection of two streets;

Patented Oct. 12, 1926 -7 rel ,s.

*srsnerimesvsrmvrron surnEnrRArLwA s.

mummifi d se einber'ee, 1925. Serial No. 57,851

Myv invention relates- .to a' signaling sys- "temrfor street railways and its primary ,ob-

ject is to provide by a simplearrangement of co-operatively associated electrical de- 5 vices, anefifective and reliable, means for announcing byv1sual or/and audlble slgnals,

the approach of a car on, an electrical railway, at points remote fromthe': track. Another object of the invention is to combine with the signaling device, and, advertising feature which adds tothe attractiveness-and commercial value ofthe system, and further Objects reside in details of construction and a novel arrangement of parts as will be fully disclosed in the course ofthe following description made ,wi

companying drawings; r I V In th' drawings in the severa -14 views: of which like parts are similarly designated-jview showing the application of my inven- -tion to thetracks of a street railwaysystem Figure 2, a perspective view ,of the t-an 7 nunciator of the system;

Figure 3, a front elevation of the annun- ,ciator drawn to anenlarged' scale, together "with the relay I element of the invention,

showing diagrammatically the circuits by "which the members of the annunciator are energized-in the operation of the system;

line H,Figure3."l v

" 7 Referring further to the parallel along a street 6 definedby sidewalks 7. The street along which thetracks extend intersects another street 8' at right angles and at a corner. of the two streets is system are announced." The elements comprised an'annunciator 10 placed; ina conspicuous position in the station, a relay mounted I p ls'tthe p atw c 'itis. pp ed; i h The relay'12 consists of a solenoid co il .17

contact device 15. o

contact-point 23.

v I v suitable supporti th reference to the'ac-i Figurel represents a diagrammatic plan;

noticeable color.j Figure reduced section taken on the l 7 7 v drawing sg degfignates inFigure 1, the two tracks of a; double track electric street r'railway laid in the I system, are

' with a fixed co ntactpoint '1-;;"- A The blade -isffastened at one end [to-.- fleX i under stress and it is adaptedtoengage iat :its opposite end withfia second f stationary contact E point 42 when -moved.-i by energizaconductors '18 and 19 respectively with the blade 22 fastened at one: end for vertical reciprocation and'adapted' to engage atits opposite end 1 with I a relatively stationary V A' fuse 24 is connected in the conductor 18 for theusual purpose andthe'entiremechanismris enclosed in a box 25 whichiis fastened to thepole 1 3 ofthe railwayor other The annunciator is composedof box madeof frostedorfstained glass upon which I 31S pa nted"anadvertlsement or other. an-,

nouncement Lin characters adapted to flbe prominently displayed when i the, glass is illuminated onthe inside of the casing. The

it is covered'by a 'lens 31-preferably ;made of glass of red or other conspicuousandf Mounted inside socket 32 for the disposition of an incandescent lamp 33 opposite totheopening cov ered by the lens .31, two 7 similar sockets 34 for lamps 35 .of greater strength placed op posite to the opening in the front of the box, 1

went; oryEneEwATEn', oo 'oBAnm'c RA M. wErEL ADMINIs'rRA-v which has itsiends connected Thy lneansof the trolley wire 14 and 7 forcasing26 of artistic design, thehinged other upper opening 30' in the frontof the, g box is round and comparativelysmall andv the box 26 1s a lamp covered by the glass pane 29,"an electric I alarm disposed between the, two lamps and including a gong 3'6fanda sounding mechanism energized. by scurrent-,fio wl through a coil 37, and Jan electroi-magnetic circuit breaker composed of a'solenoid 38 the=core resilient con'tact blade Ornormallyenga'ging i tio-n-iof the solenoid.) c v. i i A dash-pot 43* connected "at theother end 5'39 of'which': is connectedTwith ianfjinsulated -.of the solenoid core retards the return movement' thereof forjthe purpose of maintainingthc blade 4:0fand the contact point in n ae m ttins p e imi y r n a predetermined period of time ,3? as another 1 unit by the current flow l throiightlie circuit controlled {by the relay 12. @The blade :22 and thecontactgpoint; 23 of the jl'attenare tothis endconnected by means or conductors 52 and-'53 respectively with binding posts 46. a nd46 in thebox of the annunc'iator for connectionwith the operating circuits of vtheanniiineiat or as 'fnow' lie fl l' i a .gThe two imp ockets 34 ,iere co mfi multiple in ,a circuit of the electriclighting "systein which includes, eeinmencin 'wah the binding post '45, a conductor hl-branched at the point-'55into two lines 56 and 57 each iiieluding a'filai'nent of one of the two la nps 35in the socket 34' and meeting in the con- 7 'tac t point '41 of the switch,iandla conductor 48 by which lthe 'rnovable eontact nieinber 4O of the. switch is cpnnectedwith the binding post 45". l

It "follows that under normal conditions the; two lanips are'incandescent by a flow of current which commencing at the, pole of the shurce of electricity of the electric lighting system, connected withthe binding post 45,

includes as shown by thefull jli'ne arrows in Figure 1 the conductor 51 and its branches 56 and 57 including the 'iilanients of the two .lain'ps 35, the stationary contact point 41 normally engaged-by the blade 40, the contact blade 4O,"aiid the condnctor-48 which by medium of the binding post 45 is connected with the opp ite pole of the source of electricity of the lighting circuit. A second c rcuit receiving ts current from the' lighting circuit, is completed in the solenoid switch when by energi'zation there- .of,the blade 40 1s moi red into contact with the point 42, said second circuitincluding a f The-third circuit I v v 'inthe relay 12 causes the en'er-gization-ogf the wire=5O connecting the binding post 45 with the-contact po1nt42 and' ncluding the iilainent ofthe lan1p33 in the socket 32, and

the conductor 48 of the first described circuit. Y Y

of;the' -sy-stein controlled coil 39 of the solenoid switch {111d the -c'oil trolled by the solenoid switch, it itollows that when the third circuit is coinpleted in the relay -:the ne will be sounded and the ==lam-p 3-3 incandeseed at the $34118 gtinie while rithe circuit of-the "35 is open. 7 5 I il -he-th rd circuit includes commencing in I front ofthe annuncia' torbox. 3-7 of the alarm bycurrentderi ed fT-Ollltll l V electric lighting circuit and inasmuch the second circuit is normally open and con- 1,coe,257

the e-source of the lighting circuit, the line wire 44, the-binding post'45 the before mentioned conductor 48, a conductor 49 conn ct h wit n th fa eiiing oifyt e blade 40, the bindi ig post 46, the wire 52-,

the blade 22 of'the relay-solenoid, the con- =tactpoint23 engaged by the blade when the solenoid i'senergized, the wire 53, the binding post 46 a conductor 58 in which is inch ded the 'coil of the switch of the ,annui ciator, thefwindings of the alarm inagnet 3' Z,a wirefl54 connecting the windings of the niagnfetj37-with the branch wire 5?, the conductor 51 the' binding- -post145,and the line wire;4l3'of the'lightingcircuit. V I r I Y I IaVing th-us described the construction n l' fii el weee tien f th l men s emrr d; i the s tem-lis O erati w eadily rm est- 1T 1 .aeeiiiieie .11 i iin lle i a w ner drugstore, a waiting roo in or any other.

pl re Shelte i co ven e pro im ty to the corner orstahon at wh ch thecarsnioving on. one o' f the railway tracks, ,stopto ,re-

e-Hddim Passe s edx he tact device-1'5 is placed on the trolley wire above the track at a distance su ficiently "far froin'the room inwhichthe annunciator is installed to pern it persons waiting'in. said r m t J tfi th sterp es pl ,i w of time to boardthe car after the aiinuiiciatonhas' announced the approachgthereo f Vowing'to the engagement of: the'trolley on the car with the Contact deviceonthe overhead wire 14. h V

{In inost i'nstanceathe use of a relay sential since the'cars usually operate by directncuritent of 4 6111 500 to -6O0 Volts, "and the-fire-vregulationsot cities or towns do not permit of? bringing a current of that voltage into abuil-dingwithbut'veryfew exceptions.

The ordinary lighting circnit usually carrying an alternating ciirrentiofifroin 110 to 120 Volts is therefore preferably eniployed'jfor the operation ofthe :annuiiciator l inwhich case the relay functions to energize the annun'ciator switch-when the: relay circult is closedby the engagementr o'f the trol- 'ley on the approaching car with the contact d'eyice15. j 1 1 i As stated "he16ll1b'f0 he circuit in which the lamp sockets 34 :areconnected is normally closed se -that under ordinary conditions the lamps 35 incandesce to il'li inil nate the translucent advertising plate at the VVhen thetrolley on an approaching car engages-the contact device on the respective overhead' wiijeythe relay circuit is closed with the result that-the blade "22 is by moire- ,nient of the core 21 oft-he solenoid "1'17,

is esbrought intoen'gagenient with the contact point;2l"which closes the circuit ofthe solenoid ceili39 and thewindingsofithe alarm nmgnet otthe 'a'nnunciator The alarm is thussoundedto audibly apprise'thewaiting persons of the approach of the car, and the energization of the solenoidswitch at the same time causes the circuit of the lamps to be-opened and that of the lamp 33 to be closed so that the exclusive illumination of the red lens 31 will give avisible indication of the fact that the car will reach the stop ing point within the predetermined periodzk It will be understood that onelor the other or" the two indicating appliances of the an- V vnunciator may be eliminated although under ordinary conditionstheirjoint actions are desirable, and-that other variationsi-n the construction and arrangement of the -ele-' ments' of the system may be. resorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The system installed in the manner herein described, is of great benefit to the travelling public particularly in cold and stormy 7 weather since it permits of the travellers re- 7 maining under shelter'without fear of miss-. 7 ingtheir car, until almost the very time at ters Patent is which the carreaches the stopping point, and the invention is furthermore of benefit to a store in which the annunciator islocated' because of the opportunity presented for purchasesby thepersons waiting forthe cars. v 7 5 What I claim and desire to secure by Let- 1. A system v of the character described comprlsing a railway, a circuit, means for closing the circuit by aocar passlng a determinate point onvthe railway, Ia' relay M s'witch'in the circuit, asource ofelectricity,

and an'annunciator' including an illuminating unit in a normally closed'circmt with the source, an indicatory unit in a normally open circuit with the source, and'a magnetic switch in circuitwith the relay-switch, controlling the circuits of the two units to, reverse the condition thereof when the circuit of the relayeswitch isclosed by the car.

' r 2. A system of the character described comprising a railway, a circuit, means for closing the circuit by a vcar passing a determinate point on-the railway," a relay-. switch inthecircuit, a source of electricity,

and an annunciat'or including an illuminating unit in a normally closed circuit With I the source, an indicatory unit in a normallyv open circuit" with the source, a magnetic switch in circuitwiththe relay-switch, controlling the circuits oftheftwo units to reverse the condition thereof when the circuit of the relay-switch is closed by the car, and

an alarm "in the circuit .in which the two switches are connected. I

3.-A systemiof the character described comprising a railway,a'circuit, means for .closing the circuit by a car passinga determinate point onthe railway, a relay-switch ,in -the circuit,.a source of electricity, and an annunciator including an illuminating ,unit' in a normally closed circuit with the source, an indicatory unit in a normally open circuitjwith the source, a magnetic switchin circuit with the relay-switch, controlling the circuits of the two units to reverse the con-- dition'thereof when the circuit of the relayswitch is closed by the car, and a dash-pot to retard the return movement ofthe magnetic switch after the circuit in whichit' is connected with the relay-switch, is reopened. v

LA system'of the characterdescribe'd comprising a railway, a circuit, means for closing the circuit by a'car passing a deter- 'm1nate po nt on the 'ra1lway,'and an annunciator ln'cluding a box having an advert1s-- ingplate anda signal lens,a lamp to illumi- Inate the advertising platefin a normally closed circuit, a second lamp toilluminate the signallens, in a normallyopen circuit,

and a magnetic switch controlling the lamp circuits, connected to be en'ergized'by closing ofthe first mentioned circuit by the can] 5. A system of the characterdescribed comprising a railway, acircuit, means for- 'closing the circuit byja car passinga deter- "minatepoint onthe rallway, and anann'unciatori'including a box having an advertising plate and a signal lens, a lamp to illuminate the advertising plate, in a normally the signal lens, in a normallyopen circuit,

'closed'circuit', a secondlamp to illuminate a magnetic switch controlling the lamp circuits, connected to'be energized by closing'of the first-mentioned circuit by the ,car,land

Wi t-Liane. W E F ELQ Certificate of Correction.

It is hereby certified that the name of the administratrix in Letters Patent No. 1,603,257, granted October 12, 1926, upon the application of William C. H. \Vefel, of Edgewater, Colorado for an improvement in Signaling Systems for Street Railways, Was erroneously Written and printed as Cara M. VVefel, Whereas said name should have been Written and printed as Clam M; W efeZ, as shown by the records of assignments in' this office; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Ofiice.

Signed and sealed this 9th day of November, A. D, 1926. [SEAL] WM. A. KINNAN,

Acting Gammz'ssionerof Patents. 

